1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to crosslinking of cellulosic materials to produce fabrics with wrinkle recovery properties required for durable press finishes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
J. F. Walker [U.S. Pat. No. 2,548,455 (1951)] described the use of acetals for crosslinking cellulosic materials to produce improved wrinkle recovery. He reported crosslinking of paper, starch, regenerated cellulose, and cotton with 2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran. However, his process required curing for 15 min at 140.degree.C. Although Walker used 2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran, he in effect obtained crosslinking with the dialdehyde, succinaldehyde, which is the hydrolysis product of 2,5-dimethoxytetrohydrofuran formed in the reaction with cellulose.
Frick and Harper [J. G. Frick, Jr. and R. J. Harper, Jr., J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 29: 1433-1447 (1984); and J. G. Harper, Jr., J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 30: 3467-3477 (1985)] found that acetals derived from dialdehydes crosslinked cotton to produce improved wrinkle recovery. The most effective were tetraalkoxy acetals of succinaldehyde and gluteraldehyde applied to cotton from water solutions. They also found that 2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran crosslinked cotton as walker had reported. However, Frick and Harper proposed a different crosslinking mechanism than Walker.